Door-check.



No. 831,051. PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906.

M. J. FLYNN.

DOOR CHECK.

APPLIQTIONLEI D APR-13,1905- iii? 2 v 4.9" I k Z? 40 52 Q vibmaaoco ZZ52 I z A I @3313 attoz ucl s I "v I," u I h I p v U N. [TED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

MICHAEL J. FLYNN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR or ONEQHALIF TO EDWARD w.MoOARTY, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

. DOOR-CHECK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented Sept. is, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MICHAEL J. FLYNN, a citizen of the UnitedStates,.residing at the city of New York,in the borough of Brooklyn andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDoor-Checks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to door-checks; and the primar object thereof isto provide means for al ized that the parts thereof may be secured tothe abutting edges of the door and its jamb in such manner that when thedoor is closed said parts will be entirely concealed from view. Thedevice may for this reason be characterized as an invisible door-check.

The details of the invention will hereinafter appear, and the novelfeatures thereof will be set forth in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is aperspective view of a portion of the rear or back edge of a door and itsjamb, showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsection of one form of the invention, the door being shown in its closedposition. Fig. 3 is a similar section taken at right angles to Fig. landshowing the door in a partly open position, and Fig. 4 is a detailsectional view showing a modification.

, The device is intended to be mounted between the back edge of a door11 and the face 12 of a door-jamb 13. Although either part may bemounted upon the door, yet in the present illustration the largerportion of the evice is mounted u on the jamb, This portion comprises acy der 15, having a closed end 16 and having at its opposite end aclosure in the form of a plate 17 projecting beyond the outlines of thecylinder, through which securing devices may be passed, The

plate is shown as having a screwthreaded flange 18 for entering thecylinder and engaging screw-threads upon the interior thereof. A pistoniss'hown withinthe cylinder 15, the same comprising a body portion 20,having an opening through the center thereofwhich is counterbored, as at21,"f0'r receiving the piston-rod 22,having its end at 23 spread to fillthe counterbore. The. piston-rod is flexible and in the presentillustration is represented as being made of resilient cable. Suitablesteel-wire cable of sufficient diameter and strength to meet therequirements of portion by means of a plate 27 and screws osing a doorwhich is so organ.

the various employments'will be used. v The piston-packing comprises adisk 25, having rearwardly-turned edges or flange portions 26 forengaging the inner walls of the cylin- Y der. This disk may be securedto the body 28. The piston-packing may be made of some suitablematerialas, for instance, leather sufficiently lubricated to render itpliable. A coiled compression-spring 30 1s and the late 17 and'tends toforce the piston rearwar ly toward the end 16 of the cylinder. The plate17 is provided with an opening 31, through which the piston-rod 22 willpass out of the c linder, a suitable sheave 32 being mounte adjacent tosaid 0 ening and over which the flexible piston-r0 will pass. The end ofthe piston-rod is shown as entering a coupling member 33, having acounterbore 34 undercut at 35 to receive the enlarged end 36 of thecable piston-rod. It will be seen that the length of the piston-rod issuch that the shoulder, as 37, on thecoupling member will abut the face38 of the late 17 and hold the piston from being force by the spring tothe end -16 of the cylinder, whereby the s ring will always be heldunder tension and the coupling member always drawn securely against theplate. This will insure the door being closed evenshould it betemporarily interrupted at some point before itreaches its closedposition. i The rear of the door-1s shown as carrying a plate 40,provided with a rearwardly-extending tubularportion 41, constituting asocket, which socket is ada ted to receive the coupling member 33. I T's coupling member has an opening 39, adapted to register with therearof the socket 41, so

that when the coupling member is in the 95 socket a pin 42, passingbehind such socket, may enter the recess or opening 39 and secure theparts together; the accommodation of such pin may be made' in the door,and a metallic bushing 44 may, me

be put around suchopening for the purpose of preventing wear. The pinmaybe provided with a head 45 to permit its ready removal when it isdesired to uncouple the check and release the door from the control 1o5of the check or if for any reason is desired, to unhinge the door.

Fig. 3 represents the device with the door I partly open, with thepistondrawn'up part way in the cylinder, and the flexible pistonnointerposed between the body of the piston An opening 43 for air willfind access between it and'the end 16 of the cylinder. During theoutward movement of the piston the sprin will be compressed; 7 When thedoor is re eased, the piston will be forced inwardly toward the end 16of the cylinder by the energy stored in the spring through itscompression. The air between the piston and the end of the cylinderduring such inward movement will act as a cushion, preventing the.toorapid yielding of the piston to the influence of the spring.

It will be seen that the flange 26 of the piston-packing is directedtoward the end 16 of the cylinder. Consequently air Will find ingressto. the cylinder on the outward movement more readily than it will findegress on the compression-stroke or inward movement. When the door isopening, the piston will move outwardly and air will be drawn into thespace between the piston and the end 16 of the cylinder. Upon therelease of the door the spring, which has been compressed, will forcethe piston toward the end 16 of the cylinder and draw the door towardits closed position. As the piston advances, owing to the above-statedaction of the piston-packing, theconfined air will be compressed andcushion the spring in its closing of the door.

The first part of the travel of the piston is op posed by a moreyielding cushion of air than at subsequent stages of such travel, owingto the increased compression, so that the door will at first be drawnrapidly, then its progress will be impeded until suflicient air hasescaped to weaken the cushion below the stren thof the s ring, when thedoor will be quiet y closed, ut with sufficient force to bring it up toits roper position even against the resistance of a door-latch or ofdrafts. The momentumgiven the door in the first 'sta es of its closingwould not be retarded an the door would slam if the piston-rod were madeof too flexible cable; but it is proposed to use a cable sufficientlyflexible to permit free action of the door and yet sufficiently rigidnot to bend when the piston in its return stroke is retarded, but tointer-pose its rigidity and check the door when the piston is checked orretarded. B means of this device the door will be firmiy shut, but insuch a manner that it will not slam, and when it is shut the check willbe entirely concealed.

In most instances the plates 17 and 40 will be mounted so that theirrespective faces 38 and 46 will be substantially flush with the surfacesupon which they are mounted, so that when the dooris o ened all thatwill be seen will be the faces 0 such plates and the short length of thepiston-rod which has been drawn out through the aperture 31.

In some cases it may be found desirable to admit air tothe cylinderbehind the piston more rapidly. If so, a check-valve 50 and port 51 maybe provided at the end 16 of the cylinder, as illustrated in Fig. 8,whereby air will be readily drawn into the cylinder upon the outwardmovement of the'piston; but 1 when'closed, and moving away from the samein opening, of a'spring seated in the jamb, a resilient cableoperativelyconnected to said door edge and to said spring forcompressing the spring, and air-cushioning means for retarding theexpansion of the spring.

' 2.- In a door-check, the combination with a cylinder, of a pistontherein, a spring for forcing the piston to one end of the cylinder, a

steel-wire-cable-piston-rod, means for attaching the cylinder to adoor-jamb, and means for attaching the iston-rodto a door.

3. A door-chec comprising a cylinder, a piston therein, a closure forthe cylinder, a

spring between such closure and the piston, a

steel-wire piston-rod connected to such piston and passing out throughthe closure, and a removable coupiing-piece carried by such piston-rod.

4. In a door-check, the combination with a cylinder, of a pistontherein, a plate constituting a closure for the end of the cylinder andforming aiflange about the end, a spring between such closure and thepiston, a flexible steel-wire piston-rod connected to such piston andassin out through the closure, the flange 0 said 0 osure providing meansfor the attachment of the cylinder to the face of a door-jamb, a platefor attachment to the edge of a door, and a couplingsecured to the endof said piston-rod and tothe latter plate.

5. In a door-check, the combination with a cylinder having a closed end,a piston in said cylinder, a closure for the outer end o'f said cylinderhaving an opening, a spring between such' closure and the piston, asheave adj acent to said opening, a flexible steel-wire piston-rodconnected to said piston and passing IIO out through said opening andover-saidv sheave, an a valve in the closed end of said cylinder'adaptedto open upon the outward stroke of the piston and to close upon itsreturn or compression stroke.

In Witness whereof I. subscribe my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

' MICHAEL J. FLYN'N.

: Witnesses:

E. W. MoCA'nTY, l\/IAY BIRD.

